Content is the Key: 5 Steps to Diversify Your Content Creation

To some, content may be king but to marketers, content is simply a way of life. It has the ability to set you apart from other companies, mark you as an industry expert, and create new business opportunities. With approximately88%of marketers incorporating content marketing in their overall strategy, it's evident that content is taking over, and can no longer be ignored - which is why we've created a new blog series around it! From how-to's to infographics, we're expanding upon what content is, all that it does, and how it can help your business grow. Ready to become a content expert?

Check out our first post in the series, Content Distribution and You, if you haven't already and then dive into our second Content is the Key post!

5 Tips to Diversify Your Content Creation

There are thousands of pieces of content flooding the internet every moment. It's a crucial factor in developing online presence, increasing brand recognition, and creating new business opportunities, and it has been at the center of the marketing stage for a while now. In fact, with over70%of marketers planned to create more content in 2017 than they did last year, it's evident that content in its many forms has been made a priority in order to encourage business growth.

With all this available content, chances are that you are part of the 70% of people who are looking to increase their content creation. You're likely already creating content, but are aware of the need to make it stand out amongst the rest which brings us the the concept of diversification.

By definition, to diversify is to enlarge or vary the range of products which, in this case, is your content. This essentially means that the content you're already creating and publishing is providing a lot of benefits, but that it could benefit you a lot more if you put time and emphasis on content diversification. You don't need to necessarily create more or turn your content strategy upside down, but instead need to vary what you already have!

Ready to learn the 5 best ways to diversify your daily content? Let's get started.

1: Change Your Format

Creating a blog post takes time, but is a relatively straightforward way to share information. Constructing a 140 character tweet is a short and sweet way to relay a crucial message to your audience. Sharing an original interactive quiz on Facebook is a great way to engage them. While it may be easy to get attached to one format, it's important to experiment with others.

It's necessary to change your content format for a couple of reasons. First, it keeps things interesting for your audience. It's possible to get bored of one specific type of content, so it's important to keep your audience interested and coming back for more. Second, it allows you to create and publicize different types of content. You wouldn't crease a blog post with just a list of "The Top 10 Restaurants" in your area, but you could easily create an infographic that conveys this information. Third, you'll reach a wider audience when you have different types of content. Certain audience members may look for more interactive activities, while others will benefit from reading a post with images.

Tip: Experiment with as many formats as you can and use an analytics tool to see what your audience responds the best to! From video marketing to traditional blog posts, there are many options to engage and satisfy your audience. By understanding what they engage with most, you will be able to create more diverse content that is tailored to your audience.

2: Stop Repeating Your Content

It's easy to get trapped in the cycle of repeating your content with slight modifications, especially when you see what is most popular with your audience. However, it's important that you resist the urge to repeat popular content. While it may seem like you're driving traffic, these audience members are likely to be overall less engaged.

Ultimately, your audience is coming to you because they view you as an industry expert and trusted source of information. They're coming to you to learn! If you continue to produce the similar content they will ultimately turn to additional sources for new topics and information. It's important to have a wide breadth of topics and posts so that you can offer your audience the most valuable information possible.

Tip: Complete a "content audit" in order to get a comprehensive idea of what you've already produced. One of the many benefits of a content audit is that it can be organized and broken down to reflect what you're trying to measure. Looking to determine if you need more infographics?

Break it down by the content category such as blog posts, quizzes, infographics, videos, etc. Maybe you want to determine what posts are most popular with your audience on various social media platforms. Break it down by likes, shares, up votes, etc. A content audit will allow you to further develop your content strategy, and determine what you can and should expand upon, and what you should stop writing about for a while.

3: Use Unique Data and Images

We all know that data is a "must" when creating any type of content. It adds to your credibility and your audience is more likely to trust your claims if you have data to back them up.

Anyone can scrounge the internet to find published statistics and incorporate them in their content. While this is still incredibly valuable and should be done whenever possible, adding you or your company's unique and reliable data will provide another layer of diversification. This data is exclusive, which means that you're following the #1 rule of content: putting something new into the digital world, rather than just repurposing what is already available!

Similarly, creating images through graphic design or taking photos that can be used in blog posts, infographics, emails, and more, will allow you or your company to create individual and shareable content that the audience is unable to get from any other source.

Tip: Take advantage of the opportunity to take photos or create unique images. This can be done by creating an exclusive infographic template that includes specific brand colors or logos. Additionally, search for opportunities to compile private data. Average email open rate, monthly average blog visitors, or number of podcast listeners are unique data points that only you or your company can provide your audience - making it even more important.

4: Define Your Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and corporate blogs are some of the most popular social media channels that are used to share content, provide company updates and news, and increase your brand recognition. Although it's important for companies to be active on these various platforms, it's important to note that various platforms have the ability to reach different audiences and demographics, and therefore the content should be uploaded where it will achieve the most reach.

Additionally, just because a company has these various platforms, that doesn't mean each platform needs to have the same theme, content, and tone. It's appropriate to share a link to your most recent blog post across platforms, but your Facebook content should certainly be different than your Snapchat content. Your audience should be able to go to different platforms and receive different kinds of information.

Tip: Take the time to determine the best use for different social media platforms. Would Instagram be best used for a visual countdown to a product launch? Would a Tweet or Snapchat story be the best option to update followers on a guest speaker in the office? There is no right answer - it's just what works best for you, your company, and your audience!

5: Research, Research, Research

Research can sometimes be a burdensome task that few people look forward to, but it has the ability to make all the difference in your content creation and diversification process. By conducting Internet research, you can learn more about competitors, up-and-coming content formats, and trending topics. The more knowledge you have, the more likely you will be able to broaden your content successfully.

Tip: Spend 30 minutes a day researching what other content is available and understanding what else your audience might be looking for. Research may help you discover new formats that are becoming increasingly popular.

Dive into Diversification

We know that you're probably already creating valuable content; however, in order to continue to stand out as a knowledgeable and reliable content hub, it's important to diversify it. We're not saying to change your entire content strategy, but we are suggesting that you take a couple of these extra steps to ensure that you're broadening the type of the content you have.